Interview with Young Writer Isabella Yang

Can you tell us a little about yourself as an introduction? 

Hello! My name is Isabella Yang and I am currently a senior at Groton School, MA. I have just turned eighteen! My hometown is Nanjing, China—miles away from where I live right now. Besides writing I love to paint (both acrylic and watercolor), do music and hike. Creative things in all forms make me happy; I also love the feeling of immersing myself in nature. My other academic interests include languages (especially classics) and history.

So wonderful to have you on the blog today! To begin, can you take us through your writing process?

My writing process differs for different forms. For a short story or creative nonfiction, what pops into my mind first are several lines, usually at the end or somewhere in the middle, that occur to me at random times of inspiration. At such moments I jot down the sentences and do some free writes based on those lines, which will eventually evolve into complete pieces. For poetry and longer pieces of fiction, I start with the very beginning and see where my meandering thoughts lead me to.

Have you been writing for a long time? What do you like about writing? 

I have been writing for a long time, but not in English. I grew up in China and have been doing creative writing in Chinese since elementary school. I actually only started seriously doing creative writing in English less than two years ago! Then, I was reading lots of works in English and realized that there were certain things only capable to be expressed fully with words through certain languages, so I started writing in both languages. I guess one thing I like about writing is that it conveys so much and brings emotions together. Reading and writing are inseparable from each other; although writing is cathartic for myself, my ultimate goal is to let people read my work and feel the similar emotions flowing through my world and theirs. Writing for me is like a bridge that connects isolated universes.

That is such a beautiful way of putting it: "a bridge that connects isolated universes." Let's pivot a bit and talk about success as a young writer. You have been accepted into some very prestigious writing programs, such as the Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop. What does this mean to you? Did you do anything to celebrate?

I felt very honored. Personally I did not care about prestige that much, but it felt good to have my works recognized as potential. The feeling of starting a voyage in which I could be surrounded by so many talented and passionate writers close to my age was fantastic. I was very excited when I got the news and felt encouraged, so I wrote two sonnets the very next day! (That definitely counts as a celebration.)

That does sound like a perfect celebration! Do you have any advice for other writers, or for other young people going after their dreams? 

First of all, it’s never late to start. Whenever you feel like writing, just pick up the pen and write! Experience isn’t all in writing—for me, inspiration and passion are equally important. Then, it is very important to keep on learning how to write. There were moments in my past when I made the mistake of thinking that I have learned enough about writing; there is never enough to learn about the art of language, and everyone can be a teacher. Also, there is no bad writing once writers set their hearts to their works: write genuinely and don't judge. Those have been my principles while writing and reading other writings.

Can you share a few of your favorite books or authors? 

One of my all-time favorite books is Walden. I love Thoreau’s philosophy about life and nature; this book has inspired me tons as well as calmed my mind so many times. I also love Victor Hugo’s works, especially Les Miserables: it’s just epic. Toni Morrison, Virginia Woolf and J. R. R. Tolkien are probably my favorite writers who write in English, but I also love non-English writers such as Milan Kundera and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The Unbearable Lightness of Being has been a lighthouse for my life.

What inspires you?  

Very random moments of life. The smell of a blossoming late spring, a misty mirror in the bathroom after a shower, a piece of music randomly picked by my player, a conversation I eavesdropped in a small-town Thai restaurant, and so on. Maybe one thing they have in common is that they are all very real, and evoke solid emotions, whatever they may be, in me, which I transmit to my writings.

What are you working on now? What’s next for you? 

Right now I’m working on a novel loosely based on my own family history. It tells the story of a Chinese family through the entire span of the 20th Century and several huge political changes of the nation. I am thinking of taking part in the National Novel Writing Month this November. This is the first time I write a novel so I’m really excited! I have also been working on random pieces of poetry and fiction outside of class as well as creative nonfiction in my expository writing class.

Anything else you’d like to add? 

A few days ago when our school was doing a class activity, when asked the question “Who are you?” I realized that before thinking about my national, gender or ethnic identity, the first thing that popped into my mind was my identity as a writer. I guess writing will a life-long experience for me, and I hope that whatever I do and whatever life I lead in the future I can always keep that identity. I hope I can, as people from Kenyon Review Young Writers say, “Write hard and die free!”

Links:

• The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop

Interview with James Patterson, author of "Living with the Bully of Crohn's Disease"

James Patterson is the author of the just-released book Living with the Bully of Crohn's Disease, which is available on Amazon here. James is a native Southern Californian who grew up enjoying the wonderful weather, the beach and surfing. He did his undergraduate work at UC Riverside and received his MS in Biochemistry from Michigan State. He migrated back to California and, after spending time in the San Francisco Bay area, settled in Ventura County thirty years ago. His initial career focus was the research lab but his interest in interacting with people led to various sales and marketing roles in medical companies. This evolved further as he became a medical recruiter over twenty years ago. James says, "It is perfect blend of working with high-technology medical companies and people. I thoroughly enjoy the counseling aspects of my work as I interact with others and help them find meaningful work that is nourishing and rewarding." James has recently become an author with the publication of his book Living with the Bully of Crohn's Disease. He was kind enough to take a few minutes of his time to answer some questions for the blog. Enjoy!

 

Tell us a little bit about your book. What was your inspiration behind it?

I was impacted by Crohn's disease at the age of thirteen and never knew it. I recognized that something was wrong with me but it took almost four decades to identify the issue. Crohn's is a disease that waxes and wanes and makes life difficult; not understanding that you have it only makes it worse. I have met and read about many people, especially young adults, who have been devastated by this ailment and I observed that while the physical elements of the disease were challenging, the emotional issues of sadness, grief, fear and anger were even more pronounced. I recognized that my almost fifty years of experience with Crohn's gives me a wealth of knowledge that I can share with others in the hope that they can benefit from my mistakes and the mental and emotional processes I used to manage this disease and build health. My hope is that other patients will recognize their lives can continue to be full and rich, even with a disease likes Crohn's.

How do you balance writing with all the other things going on in your life, like your work, family, health?

Once I made a decision to write this book, it took about a year. Just like we take time to eat and sleep, writing became a requirement and a part of my regular process. While the project was large, I recognized that the best way to manage it was to work on a consistent basis. Some days I did more than others and there were periods when work and family did not allow time for writing. I think my motivation to write about a topic that would help others was a major driver for me to complete the task. I felt the message of the book would be medicine for people with Crohn's to help cool their inflamed and distressed minds and I wanted it to be available to those who need it.  

What is your writing process like? 

I try to write during the morning when I feel most alert, rested and creative. I use a PC and rarely take written notes because I cannot read my handwriting! If I have the time, I prefer to write in 2-4 hour bursts. I work off of an outline but once I start to write I do not pay much attention to the outline, grammar or exactly where I am going. I tend to get large chunks of ideas that come forth and I continue to write until they stop. This can go on for some time and the ideas and thought trails take me in various directions. During these times, I am not so concerned about the exact content of my thoughts but want to get things down on paper. I will go back later and clean it up but these creative thought bursts contain the best ideas and I allow them to continue unabated and I don't get in their way with too much concrete thinking. 

What is your biggest advice for other writers, particularly young writers just starting out?

I think it begins with having something meaningful to say. I never considered writing a book during the first five decades of my life. I started writing this book when a number of people told time that I had something that could help others and this serviced as my motivation to start writing. Once I made the commitment to write, the next issue for me was organization. I spent time outlining the main themes and points and did this before I did any writing. I wanted to have the bullet points in mind and then build out the rest of the story. I had forty pages of outline before I wrote my first sentence.

What are some of your favorite books? 

I love science fiction and read a lot of the old books byArthur C. Clarke, Lester Del Rey and Ray Bradbury, among others. I also read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy when they first came out and thoroughly enjoyed Harry Potter. I have many interests in nonfiction as well and enjoy authors like Caroline Myss, Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer and Robert Leichtman. 

What's next for you? 

I have started outlining two more books, one on how companies can hire and retain great people while creating a culture of excellence and support. The other is about how people can find meaning and nourishment in their life's work. Both of these relate to what I have done for over twenty years and I think I can add value in writing these books. 

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

Writing is a wonderful opportunity to go into detail on issues and ideas that can impact people's lives. As the writer, you have control over your message and do not need to be concerned about brevity. You can take the time to develop the idea and then express it in its fullness. 

You can connect with James Patterson online here:

• Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1gBElVt 
• Linked-In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/recruiterjim

Interview with Patricia Fry

Patricia Fry is a full-time writer/editor and the author of 40 books. She is also the executive director of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers network). She says, "While I have written books on a variety of topics—grandparenting, local history, youth mentoring, journaling and even how to present a Hawaiian luau on the mainland—most of those I’ve written for the last fifteen years or so are for writers and authors." The most recent are Publish Your Book, Promote Your Book and Talk Up Your Book. While she established her own publishing company (Matilija Press) in 1983 in order to produce a comprehensive local history, some of her books have been published through traditional publishing houses. Allworth Press is the publisher for this trio of books. Patricia travels and speak at writers conferences and for writers groups throughout the U.S. on publishing and book marketing. She also writes two e-newsletters and a blog for authors and contributes numerous articles to other publications and blog sites each month. She says, "I spend most of my time promoting my books and working with other authors on their book projects. Of course, I also usually have a new book in the works. Most recently, I have started writing fiction." Patricia has generously given us some of her time today to talk about her novels and making the switch from nonfiction to fiction author!

Tell us about Cat Eye Witness. What was your inspiration/motivation behind this book/this series?

Thank you for asking. For my last birthday (in June), I decided to treat myself by finally attempting a work of fiction. I’d been writing nonfiction for nearly 40 years and wanted to try my hand at a novel. I like reading light (cozy) mysteries and I love cats, so decided to do what others before me have done and combine the two. Within six months or so, I had written two novels in my Klepto Cat Mystery series, “Catnapped” and “Cat-Eye Witness.” I had heard good things about Kindle Direct Publishing and decided to get my feet wet as a potential novelist through this program. Both of these novels are at Amazon for Kindle as we speak. (Links below.) There are no talking cats—just real cats with purrsonality. One cat, in particular, has a most unusual habit that usually results in helping to solve the mysteries.

What have you learned through writing novels as opposed to your nonfiction books and articles?

I have learned how much fun it is to manufacture characters and scenarios and what it feels like to be responsible for creating characters and stories that are entertaining as well as meaningful in some way. I notice that I incorporate some of my nonfiction tendencies to teach and educate into the stories I tell. And I’ve come to realize that there must be truth in fiction in order for it to be credible. I’ve been editing fiction for several years and I think this (as well as my tendency to read fiction with a rather critical eye) has helped me to write with my audience in mind. And this is as important in fiction as it is in nonfiction. I’ve also learned that the message I’ve been sharing for years—that the concept of and the process of promoting fiction is not all that different from promoting nonfiction. It has been a real challenge to convince most novelists of this fact.

How did you get started writing?

I was a young mother when I realized that I enjoyed the process of writing—letters, grocery lists, little stories for my children, etc. At some point, I decided that when my three daughters were older, I wanted to write articles for magazines. I was fascinated by the structure of an article and the wide array of possibilities in the way you could address a single topic. I started subscribing to writing magazines and I read a lot of magazine articles. In 1973, when the girls were in their teens, I borrowed a manual typewriter and wrote my first article. The first magazine I submitted it to published it. The first book I wrote was also published—by a New York publisher.

I earned my living through magazine article-writing for many years. My articles appeared in Cat Fancy, Your Health, Woman’s World, Ladies Circle, Catholic Digest, Pages, Entrepreneur, Western Horse, Writer’s Digest and many others over the years.

I now have 40 books to my credit, including several designed for authors.

I am one of those fortunate people who has figured out how to create a lifestyle and earn a living through writing.

What is your writing process like? Do you write on a computer? In a spiral notebook? Do you write at the same time every day?

I get up every morning around 4:30 or 5:00 and write (edit, do SPAWN work, respond to interview requests, etc.) until around 9 or 10. I straighten up the house, clean kitty litter boxes and take a walk and then go back into my home office and spend another several hours at the computer. I may take another break and run errands (ship books, pick up supplies, etc.) before finishing up the day of writing work by 3:30 p.m. or so. Often, I can be found conducting research or scheduling tasks for the following day while relaxing in front of the evening news.

As I said, writing for me is a lifestyle. It is my life—my hobby, my creative outlet and my livelihood. I do all of my writing at the computer now—although it was hard to switch from the spiral notebook when I purchased my first word processor some 25 years ago. I had to learn to think into the computer.

Because I often work (if you can call writing “work”) seven days a week, I occasionally suffer burnout. That’s when I will take a longer walk among nature, perhaps. I might do a little gardening or engage in another creative activity—photography, for example.

How do you get ideas for your fiction?

As you know, I’m new to writing fiction. So far, I’ve written three novels in the Klepto Cat Mystery series. Two are published for Kindle and one is waiting in the wings for extensive editing/proofing, etc. I will also turn it over to some readers before publishing. These three stories have materialized before my eyes as I write. I start with a premise, come up with a beginning scene (which may end up in the middle of the book somewhere) and just start writing. The ideas seem to emerge through the characters. Although, if an idea strikes me, I will write it down to possibly use in one of the stories.

What is your biggest advice for other writers?

My advice to those who are writing books is, keep your audience in mind throughout the entire writing process. For nonfiction, make sure the book is needed/wanted and that you have organized it in the most logical manner. Write instructions so they are easy to follow. For fiction, write in a genre that is popular. Write scenes that flow. Don’t leave the reader behind. If you are writing for publication, you must think about promotion from the very beginning of the project. I advise authors to build promotion into their books as they write them and one way is to consider your audience throughout the process.

What are some of your favorite books?

Because many of your readers are or plan to be authors, I’d like to talk about books for authors. If you are considering using one of the pay-to-publish (or self-publishing) companies, please read Mark Levine’s book The Fine Print of Self-Publishing. He has just done a major revision. But any edition of his book is worth the price. He rates and ranks these companies and explains their contracts (good and bad). Also read my books: Publish Your Book (a great guide to understanding and learning to navigate the publishing industry) and Promote Your Book (which is filled with over 250 book promotion ideas and how to use them). Both of these are available at Amazon.com in print, for Kindle and in audio. Or purchase the print version here: http://www.matilijapress.com.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

An educated author is a more successful author. Always, always think of yourself as the CEO of your book from the very beginning. Writing may be a creative endeavor, but publishing is a business and should be respected as such.

I’d also like to introduce SPAWN. Mary Embree is the founder of Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network. She formed this organization in 1996 in order to provide the opportunity for authors, illustrators, printers, publishers, agents, etc. to network face-to-face and possibly collaborate on projects together. We also brought in experts and professionals to speak on pertinent topics. We started with three chapters in the Southern CA area. I have been involved in SPAWN since the beginning. I am now the executive director. We no longer meet in person. We are online only and still provide opportunities to network through an online discussion group. I write the SPAWN Market Update, a meaty e-newsletter each month for members only that is brimming with opportunities and resources for authors, artists and other creatives. We have two booths at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books each year, where members can sell their books to some of the 140,000 visitors. Sign up for our free monthly e-newsletter, SPAWNews http://www.spawn.org.  Contact me at Patricia@spawn.org.

Are there any links you'd like me to share?

•  http://www.matilijapress.com Here, you’ll find my books showcased, my speaking schedule, a large list of resources for authors, tons of articles of interest to authors and more.
• http://www.patriciafry.com Learn more about my editing services. Also download my free e-booklet, 50 Ways to Establish Your Platform. Sign up for my new e-newsletter, Publishing/Marketing News and Views.
• Join SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org. Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter, SPAWNews. Receive a FREE copy of Promote Yourself! 25 Ways to Promote Your Work Whether You’re an Artist, Author of Small Publisher.
• Order Patricia Fry’s two novels for your Kindle: Catnapped http://amzn.to/14OCk0W and Cat-Eye Witness http://amzn.to/1bJiq0x
• Contact Patricia here: PLFry620@yahoo.com

Interview with author & playwright Mark Rigney

Mark Rigney is the author of numerous plays, including Ten Red Kings and Acts of God (both available from Playscripts, Inc.), as well as Bears, winner of the 2012 Panowski Playwriting Competition; during its March, 2013, off-Broadway run, Theatre Mania called Bears “the best play of the year.” His short fiction appears in Witness, Black Gate, The Best of the Bellevue Literary Review, The Long Story, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet and Black Static, among many others. “The Skates,” a comic (and ghostly) novella, will be released shortly from Samhain Publishing; in non-fiction, Deaf Side Story: Deaf Sharks, Hearing Jets and a Classic American Musical (Gallaudet University Press) remains happily in print one decade on. Two collections of his stories are available through Amazon: Flights of Fantasy and Reality Checks. His website is www.markrigney.net. 

Tell us about your play "End of the Rainy Season," which recently won The Seven playwriting competition. What was your inspiration/motivation behind this piece?



My cousin Madeleine F. is finishing up her doctorate, studying land use and corporate land ownership in third world countries. I loved her stories of traveling through Mozambique, and somehow extrapolated that to the opening scenario of "End of the Rainy Season," where a very bedraggled western woman, traveling alone, begs for a room at a hovel of a hotel. I re-set the piece in Togo, largely because of my father-in-law, who worked in Togo with the Peace Corps in the early sixties. Thanks to him, I have a lovely hardback Ewe phrasebook, so I felt comfortable plucking at least hints of the local language. Of course, with the internet, I could have dealt with Mozambique almost as easily, but I do prefer the feel (and scent) of a scruffy old hardback when it comes to research. Why the piece went where it went after that launch point is anyone’s guess. Frankly, I had no faith in this play at all, and sent it to The Seven contest only as a lark. It now stands as further proof (as if I needed any) that I have no ability whatsoever to judge my own work.

I really admire how you write in all different genres, from playwriting to fiction to nonfiction. How do these different types of writing complement each other? 

Tackling different forms of writing allows my moods, on any given day, the full run of any given blank page. To wit, if I’m working on an idea that feels most like a prose piece but the prose, for whatever reason, isn’t flowing, I can do a u-turn and leap into a play. If the two-act family drama isn’t chugging along, I can tackle something short, "End of the Rainy Season," perhaps. (It probably needs re-writing. Plays always need re-writing.) If I’ve got an opinion that nobody wants to hear, that’s a signal it’s time for some non-fiction. And so on. Different written forms are the key to forever disarming the demon of writer’s block. For what it’s worth, I offend everyone, from my agent to my readers, by constantly crossing (or tangling) the line between commercial and literary fiction. The sword-and-sorcery stories I’ve published with Black Gate are light years from the experimental tropes of my Birkensnake offering, or the highbrow work now available (online and in print) at Witness. Artificial barriers, generally imposed by well-meaning critics, simply cry out to be breached. I do my best to oblige. All of which is to say that really, I’m a creature of caprice. Like Toucan Sam: follow your nose! Who knows (pun) what will turn up?

How did you get started writing?

 

I wrote an age-appropriate and completely juvenile play with several friends in second grade. The structure was good, I think: two rival street gangs taunt each other into entering the local haunted house. In they go, one by one, and get eaten by the resident monster, until the last kid barges in (said kid was played by Robert Gaucho, who was enormous), and then the monster gets pounded to mincemeat. One line survives in memory from the now-missing script: “Look at those turkeys, those eels!” I know, I know––but please don’t judge too harshly. This was the seventies, y’know? We were trying to be cool. Groovy, even. Anyway, I didn’t write anything else play-wise until seventh grade, at least, and not again until senior year of college. But one thing I learned along the educational way, and that was that I could generate material (essays and book reports and so on) faster than anyone else I knew. That doesn’t mean it was necessarily good, and my grasp of grammar was generally lousy, and I had no ability to spot a tpyo, but: at least I was a quick draw. Since math and science continually frustrated me (although I love involving both in my writing), it made sense, of a sort, to pursue writing full-time. It didn’t make financial sense, as I know now, but I suppose one cannot have everything.

What is your writing process like? Do you write on a computer? In a spiral notebook? Do you write at the same time every day? 

I’ve been known to write on napkins, coupons, and on my palms. No kidding: when an idea hits, I may only need a keyword or two to hold it for future use, but ideas often arrive at awkward or otherwise inopportune moments, so I get those words written on whatever’s handy. Most of the time, however, I type on a wireless keyboard rigged up to a mid-level Mac. Can’t afford the top-of-the-line stuff, you know. Not until I sell a screenplay to Dreamworks. I don’t use spiral notebooks except when attending play readings or rehearsals. Then I take oodles of scrawled notes, and transcribe what changes I need from these to the computer later on, as time and geography permit. As for writing at the same time every day, that’s a trap. Write when you can, or when you must, or both. My workday is typically the six-hour span during which my children are in school. The rest of the time, I’m Susie Homemaker. You want to talk laundry, or how to bake the perfect lasagna? In the words of the mighty Leonard Cohen, I’m your man.

How do you get ideas for what you write?

 

People frequently ask this, and it’s the only question I’d love to dodge, because I’m not entirely clear about this. I don’t want to fall back on, “It’s magic,” or, “The universe enters my mind and I become one with the cosmos, an astral being; I come back to my body blessed with a workable idea.” I don’t want to fall back on any of that because…well, because it’s not true. The problem is, it’s not untrue, either. What I can say with some surety is I write to entertain myself (Benjamin Disraeli: “When I want to read a book, I write one”), and the longer the piece, the more likely it is to be founded on some subject that bothers me, a problem to which I have no answer. I’m sure I’m not the only writer who needs spurs kicking my flanks in order to get from “Once upon a time” to “The End,” and the best way I know of completing a project (besides trusting myself) is to have, as my subject, a Gordian knot.

What is your biggest advice for other writers, particularly young writers or playwrights just starting out? 

Begin in the right place. It can be helpful to rely on “the Passover Question,” that being, “Why is today different from all other days?” If you can answer that, the second stumper worth considering is how late in any give scene or event can you begin. Of course, some stories do begin with description, and deservedly so, but the shorter the work, the more likely it is you need to open with action. Do so with alacrity. Don’t bother with “setting the scene” so much as entering the scene. Jump in at a moment where the stakes are already high, and your characters in flux. That way, the rest of the writing is a sort of downhill race; an avalanche, built-in, nips at your heroes’ heels. Most beginning writers try to do everything all at once: describe each person, provide an annotated list of their clothes and what’s in the room and who knew Aunt Dottie back in 1968. You can’t do it all at once. Provide what will hook a reader, and then “backfill” as you go, penciling in whatever else is needed.

What are some of your favorite books and/or plays? 

Among the best contemporary plays are Itamar Moses’s Bach at Leipzig, Sara Ruhl’s Eurydice, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and Gina Gionfriddo’s Becky Shaw. Read those four and you’ll have a pretty fair idea of what the stage can offer. Then read Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia.

For short stories, I come back again and again to Shirley Jackon’s “The Lottery,” and Alice Sheldon’s “The Screwfly Solution,” also Z.Z. Packer’s “Brownies.” But of course there are literally millions of short stories to wade through, and once in a while, you turn up a gem no one’s ever heard of, one you more or less by default get to keep for yourself.

My favorite novel bar none is T.H. White’s The Once and Future King, which, in its proper form, would also contain its addendum, The Book of Merlyn. Recent favorites include John Crowley’s hugely emotional magnum opus Little, Big, and I am about to start Edith Wharton’s Custom of the Country. I find it helpful to alternate contemporary work with the classics––or possibly this is simply my own alarming sense of elitism making unhappy demands on my time.

What links can readers visit to learn more about you and your work?

Please come visit my website, which contains links to many of my stories and plays. That way you can judge for yourself if I’m a total fraud. (A fear or fraudulence is, by the by, very healthy; it keeps you sharp. As Neil Young put it, “You’re only as good as your last note.”) http://www.markrigney.net/Rigney/Home.html 

Also, I collect very old beer cans––got any? In fact, pretty much any beer-related item made before about 1970 is of interest to me. Check out my “Cans” page: http://www.markrigney.net/Rigney/Cans.html

And if you’d like to delve farther (also further) into the literary vs. genre fiction debate, may I suggest beginning here:
http://www.blackgate.com/2012/09/17/genre-2012-the-ghetto-remains-the-same/

Guest Post by Mariana Ashley

Writing about writing: 

The importance of a writing journal 

by Mariana Ashley

At one point I wrote so much I felt as though I was going crazy.

On top of my freelance writing duties, I try to write a little bit of my own fiction on the side every day or at least a few times a week. If I’m really on a roll, I could be writing over 3000 words a day counting my professional writing and the fiction that I do in my spare time. I wish I had more of those days, but sometimes I just don’t have the energy to produce content constantly.

About a year ago, amidst a particularly grueling week of writing, I found read a post from some writing blog (I can’t remember the name for the life of me) that advocated for keeping up a writing journal. Is this person out of their mind? I thought. I’m putting in tons of hours to write for work and for my own personal enjoyment, and now it’s expected that I keep up a journal too? How could a person possibly cope with that much time in front of a page? 

Despite my misgivings, I tried keeping a journal on the side of everything else. The post made it very clear that this writing journal was meant solely for you to express how you were feeling at that moment, no matter what was on your mind. Relationships, writing habits, career ambitions, and general musings were all fair game. The writing journal isn’t about sketching out a new story or figuring out the next plot point in your novel; it’s time for you to reflect on you.

According to the blogger, the point of the writing journal was for you to wrestle with any emotions or troubles that kept you from making progress or breaking through on your other work. Rather than sublimate and dismiss any negative emotions, you could feel free to write them out in full in the journal.

I can’t even begin to articulate what the writing journal did for me. I had been plagued with doubt about so many writing projects at the time that it had seriously affected the quality and quantity of my writing. Once I started working out those doubts and inhibitions on paper, I could see clearly that the things that worried me and kept me up at night had no basis in reality—they were just negative thoughts that kept me from taking serious leaps in my work. I worried too much about how people would receive my writing rather than take the time to actually develop and shape it. Seeing these thoughts splayed out on the journal was like a revelation.

Now I write in my writing journal almost every day. It’s an indispensable tool for keeping my emotions in check and staying level headed when the writing process because particularly grueling and difficult. I recommend a writing journal for any writer, if just to get in touch with your emotions.

Do you keep a journal of any sort? I’d love to hear about it!

BIO: This guest post is brought to you by Mariana Ashley, a prolific blogger who provides web content to a number of blogs and websites. She's most interested in providing guidance to prospective college students who wish to attend online colleges in Montana. When she's not writing or researching online education trends, she enjoys riding her horse, George, and spending quality time with her four nieces. Mariana welcomes your questions and comments at mariana.ashley031@gmail.com.

Interview with Rebecca Guevara

What would you like readers to know about you as an introduction? 

When I first seriously started writing over ten years ago I did it only for myself to prove I could. Secretly I’d believed I could write since childhood, but I’d done little to make that happen. When my first book was published in 2006, and I experienced the heady excitement of signings, conference engagements, and best of all, compliments and encouragement on my writing, I wanted that to continue. Now I have learned more about the ebb and flow of writing, and I have returned to a quieter approach of genuinely enjoying the process while giving and gaining what I can. One way I keep myself connected is working with writers as they prepare their manuscripts. I have been able to help as mentor/coach and editor, and I find it very enjoyable.

Tell us about Blossoms of the Lower Branches. Was it difficult to revisit these memories? 

At times. Over twenty years had passed since my brother took his life, so the immediate sharpness had subsided, but as you know, true writing unearths more than writers sometimes want. I didn’t want to tell my story. I wanted to explain how the classic hero’s journey, first explained in myth, can be used to deal with grief from the death of a loved one, and I wanted to make it a “paper,” or a “study” that would explain like a teacher in front of a classroom. I thought that approach would give the subject more respect. I soon realized it needed a sincere, true story to weave through it to make it real and usable for others. After all, my readers are suffering grievers, not professors giving me a grade.

What was it like to publish a memoir? Was it a release? Freeing? Was there any anxiety in the publication process? Is publishing a memoir different from publishing fiction? 

Publishing a memoir has been different from fiction where it’s easy to hide behind, “It’s just a story!” whether that’s true or not. A surprise has been that I’m happy to talk about the idea I really do believe in with the hero’s journey as a grief recovery model, but I’ve been reluctant to encourage people I know to read it because it is personal. I was conflicted about putting my story out there, which is why I started trying to write a “paper.” I’d like to have anyone struggling with how to settle traumatic grief read it while keeping ear buds in my friends’ ears.

Was it a release? Not in the way many memoirs are because many memoirists are often writing to themselves for the first time. I had chewed over the issues in the book so often, for so long, that I had comfortably settled them, so it became closer to putting a period at the end of a last sentence, and closing the book before lending it to another.

 
How did you get started writing? 

First time: Fourth grade assignment when I wrote a two page love story and loved the process. That bout ended three years later with a puberty driven mania to write of a young girl who takes off to see the world. It started in Salt Lake City, where I lived, and traveled to San Francisco (Sounds like a bestseller, no?) where it abruptly stopped because I realized I knew nothing of China and I let it lock my creativity. Second time: When I wanted to expand my career and branch out to writing, I began interviewing and working for free lance articles. This bout ended when I was told of my brother’s death while I was having fun writing. I couldn’t settle how I’d been happy while he’d been so miserable. Third time: When I’d let so many years pass not doing something I thought I could be good at and I knew I had to try. Finally. Victory over myself in the third bout.

What is your writing process like? 

 I make notes in a small, carry around notebook, more notes in a spiral notebook, save clipped articles and related items of any kind in folders, and then I write on a computer. Next is revising for what can seem like forever. How do you get ideas for what you write? Ideas can seem to be in the air around me. Thoughts that sprout from nowhere, news stories, overheard conversations, a scene of people walking their dogs. Harnessing myself to develop them is often the harder task.
 
What are some of your favorite books? 

As my eyes fall on them in my writing room, and in no particular order, books I have enjoyed are:

• The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
• The Science of Mind by Ernest Holmes
• Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
• Down by the River by Charles Bowden
• My Secret History by Paul Theroux
• The Anthropology of Turquoise by Ellen Meloy
• Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
• Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky

What is your biggest advice for young people reaching for their dreams? 

That’s a tough one because I think everyone is an individual who needs different things, and often things I can’t imagine. Through my life I have felt the forces of dreams, realities, and drives collide. Dreams can be irreplaceable inspirations, but dreamers then need to square that with the realities of what is required for the dream to be real, and then again look at how dreams and realities connect with personal drives. It is possible to dream of something, understand what it takes to get it and still have to deal with personal ambition or lack of it, inability to deal with fear, or a need for approval that kills dreams. Sometimes there is a lot to push through. Everyone needs to understand their own situation.

-------------------------------
Visit Rebecca's website
 http://www.rebeccaguevara.com/Rebecca_Guevara/Home.html 

Writing Waters Blog
 http://thewritingwaters.wordpress.com/ 

Order her book on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Blossoms-Lower-Branches-Journey-Through/dp/0979395836/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323386706&sr=8-1%20

Order her book through Barnes and Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blossoms-of-the-lower-branches-a-heros-journey-through-grief-rebecca-guevara/1105278836?ean=9780979395833&itm=1&usri=blossoms+of+the+lower+branches%2c+a+hero%27s+journey+through+grief

Winner of Ninth Glass Woman Prize!

I am THRILLED and super honored to share some exciting news with you: my short story "Woman, Running Late, in a Dress" won first place out of 622 entries in the Ninth Glass Woman Prize! WOO HOO!!

You can read my winning story here: http://www.fictionaut.com/stories/dallas-woodburn/woman-running-late-in-a-dress

The Glass Woman Prize is run by the amazing Beate Sigriddaughter, a wonderful writer and an inspiration to me and many others. She created the prize and funds it with her own money. This is what she says on her website about why she started The Glass Woman Prize: I want to help along the cause of women expressing themselves authentically and fearlessly and passionately. It has something to do with a contribution to justice and soul growing in the world. One of my ex-husbands once said that women don't support each other. I want to either change that or prove it wrong. This is my small gesture of changing the world.

Learn more about The Glass Woman Prize -- and enter your own work in the next round -- at http://www.sigriddaughter.com/GlassWomanPrizeGuidelines.htm. There is no entry fee, and the only requirements are that fiction or creative nonfiction be under 5,000 words and written by a woman.

Markets for Young Writers

* Wet Ink Magazine

Open and happy to accept all genres of literature, visual art and multimedia from youth aged 13 to 19 residing in Canada. At present, they only accept submissions electronically; they do not want to take responsibility for your original artwork. Please send reproductions only; if your work is three dimensional, a good photograph will be fine.

Please include with your submission a cover letter with your name, age, city or town of residence and e-mail address so that editors can contact you. Please also include any information they might find interesting, such as, for example, lists of publications or exhibits or biographical material.

Wet Ink does not ask for first North American publishing rights to your work; whatever you send them can be submitted again to another publication. If you do send a piece that has already been published or exhibited elsewhere, please include the name of the venue and the date of your publication/exhibit so that they can post the appropriate credits. However, they do ask that you not send any simultaneous submissions.

http://www.wetinkmagazine.com/submit.htm

* Frodo's Notebook

Editors actively seek five types of submissions from teens. Send your very best work, and read the guidelines thoroughly and completely before sending anything:

1. Poetry. They definitely prefer poems of under 36 lines, but they will always consider excellent exceptions. Address to poetry editor Julia Shields and send in the body of an email to poetry@frodosnotebook.com.

2. Creative/Personal Essays. Creative nonfiction, preferably narrative-driving and reflective; not journalism or opinion. Address to editor in chief Daniel Klotz and send as a .doc (Word), .rtf, or .txt attachment to essays@frodosnotebook.com.

3. Fiction. Almost exclusively short-short stories of under 1200 words, though they will "gladly look at longer pieces that promise to blow us away." Editors mostly want "literary" fiction, but send your fantasy or sci-fi if it's "really good and not fan fic." Address to fiction editor Timothy Rezendes and send to fiction@frodosnotebook.com.

4. Articles. Reviews of current books, movies, and art, as well as cultural critique, op-ed, and original journalistic reportage, as long as it has a literary/artistic subject or slant. Usually under 1200 words. If you're interested in writing this kind of prose for them, send a writing sample or two to editor at large Ben Carr at articles@frodosnotebook.com.

5. Visual art. Not yet accepting submissions of visual art.

See site for full guidelines: http://frodosnotebook.com/submit.html

Contest for Women Writers Announced at SheWrites.com

Today, on the one-year anniversary of She Writes (www.shewrites.com), founders Kamy Wicoff and Deborah Siegel announce The Passion Project, a contest open to an emerging author and member of She Writes with a nonfiction book project in the works.

The Passion Project enables a hand-picked A-team of writing and publishing experts to choose a book project by a first-time author and to donate their time to its advancement, giving it every possible chance to succeed.

“She Writes was founded on the premise that writing can be life- and world-changing for women, that no woman writer is an island, and that publishing expertise should be available to every writer, not only those who can afford to pay,” said Wicoff. The contest embodies the company’s mission.

The Passion Project borrows its name from a common term used inside publishing houses to refer to a book an editor loves with a passion, even if it’s not a lucrative project. Judges include literary agents Betsy Lerner and Erin Hosier; Brooke Warner, publisher of Seal Press; author and journalist Alissa Quart; and Wicoff and Siegel themselves. The Project’s co-directors, Lea Beresford and Amanda Johnson Moon, are editors who hail from inside of traditional publishing (Random House and Basic Books, most recently).

The winner will be selected on the basis of the merit of her entry, which consists of a cover letter and a 2,000 word excerpt. She will receive thorough and supportive consultations from a team of experts designed to help her prepare a complete proposal for submission to agents or publishers. Entries are due August 1st, 2010, and finalists will be announced and their excerpts posted on August 27th, at www.shewrites.com. A winner will be announced on August 24th.

To enter the contest, and/or to join this wonderful online community for women writers, visit www.shewrites.com.

Interview with Marcia Meier

Marcia Meier has been writing professionally since she graduated from college. She worked for daily newspapers for nearly twenty years, first as a reporter, then as a copy editor and assistant city editor, and finally as editorial page editor of the Santa Barbara News-Press. She left daily journalism in 1995, but wrote a Women and Business column for an Orange County magazine, penned a coffee-table book on Santa Barbara and has continued to write for newspapers and magazines ever since. She also taught journalism and writing for four colleges for more than ten years, and continues to work with other writers as a coach today.

She writes poetry and short stories, and had her first poem and her first short story accepted for publication in 2008. She also is at work on a novel and a memoir, but says,"They are going much slower than I would like. The journalism and nonfiction books come first."

I met Marcia four years ago when she was Director of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference and brought me in to lead the Young Writers Program. Not only is she a writing and publishing guru, she is also an incredibly warm and generous person. I greatly admire her and feel fortunate to call her my friend. She was kind enough to answer some questions about her new book, Navigating the Rough Waters of Today's Publishing World.


Tell us a bit about the book.

The subtitle is Critical Advice for Writers from Industry Insiders, and that is the focus: It's a book about the upheaval in the publishing world and how writers can best take advantage of the changes. I interviewed more than two dozen experts – agents, editors, publishers and authors – to get their thinking on what's happening in publishing. The book identifies four major trends and then offers advice for using those trends to further your career as a writer.


Sounds like a very important read for every writer! So how did you discover your love for writing?

I was in junior high school when I began to write in a journal every day. It was a way to sort out my teen-aged angst and try to discover who I was and who I wanted to become. Writing and my horse got me through adolescence. But I always found writing came easily to me. I liked English and loved to read. It all seemed to go hand in hand. When I was a senior in high school I worked on the yearbook, but didn't write seriously again until I discovered journalism toward the end of my sophomore year in college. I took a reporting class and was hooked. I changed my major to journalism in my junior year, did two internships the following summer and fall, and got my first newspaper reporting job two weeks after I graduated. I have been in love with writing ever since.


What is your writing routine? Do you write every day?

Yes, I do write every day. I begin every morning early with at least a half-hour of journaling. I’m a big fan of Natalie Goldberg (author of Writing Down the Bones) who recommends some form of what she calls "morning pages." Then I write a poem. (I made a commitment to myself last December to write a poem a day. I haven't quite made that, but I'd guess I write at least four to five poems a week.) Then, depending on what freelance deadlines I face, I will either conduct interviews or write for most of the morning. Afternoons are a little more scattered. I spend a lot of time answering emails, and I also have regular meetings – weekly or biweekly – with the writers I coach. When it comes to short stories and longer works, I tend to pack up my computer or notebook on a Saturday and go off to a coffee shop at least half an hour away from my home.


Is there anything you wish you could tell your younger self about the writing life? What advice do you have for beginning writers?

I wish I had known/understood the importance of sticking to a writing routine. When I left the newspaper business my daughter was three. I found all kinds of excuses not to write, and got pulled in a number of directions (teaching, volunteering at school) that seemed important at the time. I don't regret those experiences, but I think I might have been further toward what I say are my highest goals for writing if I had stayed focused on them. Today, I'm rededicated to my personal writing. (It's also a little easier since my daughter is just graduating from high school and will be heading off to college soon.)

As for advice, stay true to yourself. Commit yourself to whatever time you think you can devote to writing and do it. But don't beat yourself up if you fall short of a writing goal. Forgive yourself, revise if need be, and begin again. Life happens.


What is the editing process like for you?

Initially, arduous. With my own work, I have to force myself to get started. But once I'm in the moment with it, it comes easily. I typically begin at the beginning and read everything through, editing as I go. If I am working on someone else's manuscript, I read it with an eye toward line editing but also structure, content, characterization, plot, etc. I will read a ms. two or three times if necessary to get a really good sense of what it needs overall.


What "life lessons" have you learned through writing?

Lord! Think of every parable and saying you can imagine and I've probably learned it through writing. I love this Teddy Roosevelt quote: "Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty... I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well."


That's so true and well-put. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Only that as writers we need to believe in ourselves and our work. We aren't typically going to get support from our families or friends (unless they are also writers). I once had a friend ask me when I was going to get a "real job." Geez! Who needs friends like that? It's not easy, but you are the only person who will always believe in your dreams, 100 percent. So seek out people who understand and support you, and ignore the rest. And be persistent. If you don't send out that poem, or that short story, or that novel, there is only one certain end: It will never be published. So give your work a chance – release it to the world.


Thank you so much, Marcia!

Order your own copy of Navigating the Rough Waters of Today's Publishing World at http://www.navigatingpublishing.com/

Learn more about Marcia at http://www.marciameier.com/ and http://www.redroom.com/author/marcia-meier

Interview with Amazing Young Nonfiction Writer Allie Sakowicz

Allie Sakowicz is proof that you are never too young to make your dreams come true. At just fifteen years old, she has written more than 30 articles for print magazines such as Odyssey Magazine and Chicago Parent as well as several in online publications including True Genius Magazine and Scrubs Magazine. She is also a member of the Scholastic Kids Press Corps, and as such her assignments have included attending a rally for former Presidential candidate John McCain, and President Barack Obama’s Election Night and Super Tuesday Election Night parties. Wow! Her website is www.alliesakowicz.com.

Read on for Allie's tips about how YOU can tap into your interests to make a career as a writer at any age!

How did you get your first piece published?

My first piece was actually a book review of Because of Winn-Dixie in the Chicago Tribune when I was 10. There was a general call for submissions and, being a huge fan of the Kate DiCamillo book, I submitted a review. I never expected to see it printed several months later! As for my first "real" article, the story went a bit differently. The author of the Angelina Ballerina series of books, Katherine Holabird, was making visit in my community and I was able to attend and take a picture with her. My family encouraged me to write an article about the experience and submit it to a local parenting magazine, who accepted it. It's certainly not always that easy, but I was lucky that the right opportunity came along at the right time and started my writing career.

How did you become interested in writing?

As long as I can remember, I've loved to write. Even now, I would prefer to write an essay on something than do an art project or something else any day. I wish I could tell you more, but I really can't. Writing has just always been there as a big part of my life and I wouldn't have it any other way.

What is your writing routine like? How do you find time in your busy schedule to write?

Being a full-time student makes it extremely difficult to find time to write, especially since I am involved in sports and other extracurricular activities. However, I believe that we always make time to do what we love, and writing is something that I love. Whenever I feel inspired, I will jot down a few words on an article or make a note about something I want to include. I am passionate about writing non-fiction because I love helping people gain knowledge on a certain topic. There is nothing better to me than getting an email saying that I inspired someone through my work. That is what keeps me going, and that is why I am in my room typing while my friends are at the pool, or why I am at the library researching on a 90-degree day. It's all about priorities.

Do you have any tips for dealing with the trials of the writing life, such as writer's block and rejection?

I realize that they are things that happen to each and every author at some point and try to work around them. As a non-fiction writer, I think I struggle with writer's block a whole lot less than others, but it still does occur. What I do when it does happen is find some new sources about my topic and do more research. Usually when I do this, I will come across new information I was not already aware of, and that opens up many more doors with the article. As for rejection, I'm not going to lie: it hurts. I have had many cases where it seems like an editor is very interested in my work, only to get a standard form rejection a month later. But, I just pick up the pieces and move on. Rejection is bound to happen in this business, and most of the time it is not because of the author's work, it is just an editor's preference. The one important thing to remember is to never give up. The right opportunity will come and you have to keep persevering to find it.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

I read a huge variety of books, so I have favorite authors in every category. One of my favorite books, Shiver, was written by my friend Maggie Stiefvater and is a must-read. I also enjoy books by Jodi Picoult, Meg Cabot and John Grogan. As for non-fiction, I love reading medical books because I am a huge dork.

What is your biggest advice to other young writers?

I think that it is very important for kids to never give up on their dreams and goals just because of their age. It's difficult to be taken seriously sometimes in this industry, and the only way to get around that is to act serious. That means doing your research and writing quality articles or manuscripts.

What are you working on now? What's next for Allie Sakowicz?

I'm on a little bit of a hiatus from writing right now to focus on school, but I still have a few pieces in the works. I've begun to center in on articles about medicine, which is what I'm really interested in. I'm not really sure what the future of my writing career is, but I am having so much fun right now and can't wait to see what happens next.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Feel free to email me at allie@alliesakowicz.com if I can every help! I'm more than happy to offer advice or guidance to help get you where you want to be.